Danger 5

     I said in my last post that I found the weirdest show on television. I lied. I found it this week, it's called Danger 5. 

     Danger 5 is an Australian show which is a play on 60's spy dramas mixed with WWII drama. Production wise the show looks terrible, on purpose. The girls are scantily clad, the set is poorly put together, the colors are oversaturated, and the audio goes in and out of sync. The boss of the titular Danger 5 is a man with an eagle head.

      The show is weird but it works. The dialogue is very tongue and cheek and matched with the production it looks and sounds hilarious. The plot is as over the top as the characters. Each episode the the Danger 5, each member a total caricature, has to infiltrate or defeat some strange Nazi development and, as always, kill Hitler.

     

     Hitler is a ladies man cool guy and the Danger 5 have to stop them. The second episode features Nazi dinosaur monsters. The show, created by Dario Russo and David Ashby, is ludicrous and so so funny. It's not for everyone but it's certainly found it's niche and is very popular on Netflix.

     There's a fake robot dog. That smokes cigarettes and woows men.

   The actors, even in Australia, are unknown but they don't need to give a beautiful performance in this unbelievable world where Hitler can't be hit by bullets and always escapes. 

    Danger 5 is fun and easy to watch and very entertaining. So it's not Annie Hall. It's still really really funny.

Kingsman

Among the couple other wildly popular Valentine's Day releases was Kingsman: The Secret Service. The film is set in England, and focuses around the unrefined, but promising Gary "Eggsy" Unwin. He is recruited by a secret-spy organization, into their agency's ultra-competitive training program, just as a global threat is emerging.

When I saw the trailer initially, I was intrigued, but my opinion quickly changed after I saw the film. From what I had gotten out of the trailer, I assumed that it was going to be a good old-fashioned spy movie, with a similar plot line to that of any of the Bond or Bourne films. I started out with the potential to be like those films, but quickly turned into something more similar to a Seth Rogan comedy. Not a bad thing, but not my first choice when it comes to film types.

Overall, I would probably give it a 3/10. It had a few good one liners, but the comedy was subpar and the action and fight scenes had a cartoonish aspect to them. Regardless of my opinion, check out the trailer and make your own decision. This may be something you enjoy.

Skyfall

Skyfall is the latest entry in the James Bond franchise, directed by Sam Mendes. The film is unique in the respect that it is not a direct continuation of the story from Craig’s previous two Bond films, Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.

The film's poster

The film notably brings back many “classic” elements to the franchise, with the inclusion of iconic Bond characters such as Moneypenny (played by Naomie Harris) and Q (played by Ben Whishaw). Being a departure from the previous films, Whishaw is the youngest actor to portray Q. Additionally, the end of the film shows MI6’s relocation to the classic Universal Exports building from previous films, with Ralph Fiennes succeeding Judi Dench as M.

Whishaw (left) as Q and Craig (right) as Bond

Ralph Fiennes as Gareth Mallory, the new M

Skyfall also includes the return of Bond’s spy gadgets. However, in keeping with the more realistic feel of Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, Q’s gadgets are simpler and more practical; upon meeting Bond, Q presents him with a miniature radio to signal for backup as well as a Walther PPK/S with palm print activation designed specifically for Bond.

Bond's Walther PPK/S

The rear of the gun; the circles turn red when someone other than Bond attempts to fire it

The film was shot in a diverse set of locations, including London, Glencoe, Istanbul, Adana and Macau. The scenes in Macau were based on Hashima Island in Japan, while sets were designed to recreate skyscrapers for the scenes taking place in Shanghai. Two of the most memorable shots take place in Adana and Glencoe: the former, where Bond is shot off a train crossing the Varda railway bridge in Adana, and the latter, where Silva’s helicopter assaults the Skyfall Manor in Scotland. 

The Varda railway bridge

Skyfall is an excellent addition to the Bond franchise, with Bardem’s Silva being a memorable villain that brings true depth to the story and its characters. I believe that Skyfall will appeal not only to classic Bond fans, but to new fans as well. I enjoyed the film, and I’m already looking forward to the next Bond movie!

Bardem as Raoul Silva, the film's antagonist

For more Bond, here’s the Skyfall trailer:

Spy Movies

I loved The Debt. 

The Debt (2010) is about three retired spies and a fatal secret from their past resurfacing. The cinematography: excellent. The plot: engaging. The acting: top notch.

Helen Mirren executed her lead role flawlessly and convincingly.

But rather than review this movie. I'd like to talk about spy movies. I love spy movies. As a kid, my brother and I watched every James Bond movie and even classics like Where Eagles Dare.

I'm not exactly sure why, but I can feel a distinct style developing for recent espionage movies. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Debt, The Bourne Trilogy (Quadrilogy now?), Taken, The Good Shepard, and The American are all movies that come to mind when thinking about the recent trend of slow-to-start, cold, gritty and beautifully shot spy movies.

All of these blockbuster spy movies rely heavily on star appeal. Stars like Colin Firth, Helen Mirren, Matt Damon, Liam Neeson, and George Clooney are all cast in hopes of Academy Nominations.

The lead spies are usually rogue intellectual types, with either a moral or selfless mission. Spies are never meant to be self serving. If they were, the film would simply be labeled as a gangster or crime movie.

This recent trend I'm referring to runs counter to the old kind of spy movie which placed an emphasis on the luxury, the gadgets, and traditional war movie. In the past, James Bond was watched by people envious of his lifestyle. Now, spies are more often depicted as living on the run or with some kind of deep internal conflict. It's less about good v. bad, and more about internal struggles.